The big, wide ocean was a very happy place. It was a world of blue and green, where the water felt like a soft, wet blanket. In this beautiful ocean lived a little dolphin. The little dolphin was very smooth and very grey. The little dolphin loved to jump. Up, up, up the dolphin went, jumping out of the water to see the big, yellow sun. Then, splash! The little dolphin would dive back down into the cool, quiet blue. The water made bubbly sounds that went "pop, pop, pop" against the dolphin's nose. The dolphin felt very happy in the big, blue home.
One morning, the little dolphin was swimming near the sandy bottom of the sea. The sand was white and soft, like sugar. While swimming, the little dolphin found something very special. Tucked inside a big, pink shell were many round stones. There was a red stone that looked like a cherry. There was a yellow stone that looked like a tiny sun. There was a blue stone that looked like a piece of the sky. The little dolphin thought these stones were the most beautiful things in the whole wide ocean. The dolphin touched them with a flipper and felt how smooth they were.
The little dolphin sat by the pink shell and looked at the stones. They were so shiny and so smooth. The little dolphin wanted to keep them all. "These are my stones," the little dolphin thought. Just then, a little seahorse wiggled by. The little seahorse had a curly tail and tiny fins. The seahorse saw the bright colors and stopped. The seahorse’s eyes went wide with wonder. The little dolphin felt a little bit nervous. The dolphin used a flipper to cover the red stone and the yellow stone. The dolphin wanted to keep the beauty all for one, hiding the treasures under a grey fin.
Next, a tiny crab came walking along the sand. The tiny crab went "click, click, click" with its little claws. The crab saw the blue stone peeking out from under the dolphin’s flipper. The crab looked very curious and reached out a tiny claw to see the sparkle. The little dolphin looked at the seahorse and then at the tiny crab. The dolphin looked at the beautiful stones. The dolphin was holding them very tightly, but something felt missing. The ocean was very big and very quiet. The little dolphin felt a little bit lonely standing there with all the stones and no one to play with.
The little dolphin looked at the seahorse’s curly tail. Then, the little dolphin looked at the crab’s tiny claws. The dolphin saw that the friends were just looking and wanted to see the pretty colors too. With a gentle nudge of the nose, the little dolphin pushed the bright red stone toward the seahorse. The seahorse’s tiny fins fluttered with excitement. The seahorse twirled around and around in a happy circle. Seeing the seahorse so happy made the little dolphin feel a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It was a feeling that was even better than owning a shiny stone all alone.
Next, the little dolphin used a flipper to push the yellow stone toward the tiny crab. The crab did a little dance on the white sand, clicking its claws in a happy rhythm. Now, the little dolphin held the blue stone, and the friends each had one too. The three friends sat together on the ocean floor. They began to move the stones around in the sand. They moved them here, and they moved them there. Together, they made a beautiful pattern that looked like a flower. They laughed and played, making bubbles that floated up to the top of the water. Sharing the stones made the game much more fun than playing alone.
The friends played until the big, yellow sun began to go down. The light in the water changed from bright blue to a soft, sleepy purple. The seahorse was tired from all the twirling. The tiny crab was ready to rest in the sand. The little dolphin felt very happy and very full of love. "Thank you for sharing," the friends seemed to say with their happy wiggles and gentle waves. The little dolphin realized that the stones were pretty, but friends were the real treasure. Sharing had turned a quiet morning into a wonderful day full of new games and happy hearts.
Now, it was time for sleep. The ocean was very still and very calm. The little dolphin found a cozy patch of soft, green sea grass. The sea grass moved slowly in the water, like a gentle cradle. The little dolphin tucked in close and closed its eyes, feeling the gentle pull of the tide. The water hummed a soft lullaby. "Swish, swish, swish," went the waves far above. The little dolphin dreamed of bright colors and happy friends. Everything was safe. Everything was quiet. Sleep tight, little dolphin. Goodnight, little ocean.
